Grain-bag holder and weigher



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. DUNAN, OF LIMA, OHIO.

GRAIN-BAG HOLDER AND WEIGHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,868, dated July 26, 1881.

Application filed February 19, 1851.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. DUNAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lima, in

: nying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a combined grainbag holder and weigher, and has for its object to provide a simple, cheap, and convenient apparatus, by use of which one person may bag up, Weigh, and handle grain with great expedition.

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the apparatus. Figs. 3 and at are detail views of parts. Fig. 5 is a detail view, showing the pivoted and hinged guides.

The letterA designates the side sills or basepieces,A two cross-pieces, which connect them, and A the side standards secured to the basepieces. A cross-piece, A connects the two side standards at their upper ends. These parts constitute the frame of the apparatus.

B designates the platform, made in any suitable manner, and rigidly attached to the frame B, which is adapted to slide up and down between the side standards, A The bag-holder O is attached to a supporter, O, which is so constructed as to be vertically adjustable on the cross-piece constituting the top of the slid ing frame. In the present instance the adj ustable supporter is grooved on its back and slotted vertically, as at a, and an upward-projecting plate, I), is secured to the cross-piece, and is provided with a vertical tongue, b, on which the groove of the supporter may slide. A setscrew, 0, on the plate passes through the slot and serves to tighten the supporter.

The bag-holder 0 consists of a metal bar Whose ends are curved or bent toward each other, as shown in Fig. 4, to give it a halfoblong form, of size adapted for the mouth of an ordinary two-bushel grain-bag. Each (Model.)

end of the bar is provided with an oblique projecting point or hook, cl, and a curved springelasp, e, which fits around the outer side of the curved bar, to the rear side of which the spring is pivoted by one end, as shown at c. This construction permits the spring-clasps to be turned up, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which position the open end of the bag is placed within the half-oblong bar 0. The edge of the mouth of the bag is folded over the curved ends of the bar and hooks d, and the curved springclasps c are brought down, so as to inclose the edge of the bag which is folded over the bar. These hold the bag on the cuiwed ends of the bar, and the'oblique projecting hooks (I prevent the bag from slipping off. By the arrangement for vertically adjusting the bagholder, as above described, the bag-holder and platform may be so dis tanced from each other that the bottom of the bag may set upon the platform, while its mouth is kept open by the bar 0.

A Windlass-shaft, F, is supported horizontally in bearings on the side standards, and is provided with acrank-handle,j,and a ratchetwheel, g, with which last a pawl, h, on one standard engages. A suitable rope or chain, 2', is attached to the Windlass-shaft at each end and the platform at each side. By this arrangement the platform may be hoisted after the bag of grain has been weighed, to raise the bag to a proper height to enable a person to bring the bag over his shoulder with ease, the tilled bag at this time, it will be understood, being disconnected from the bag-holder and resting wholly on the platform. Thus the plat form serves the usual purposes of a scale-plat form, and, as will be explained hereinafter, as a hoisting-platform.

An arm, L, projects horizontally from the upper cross-piece, A, of the main frame. Two hangers, 7r, each being in the form of an eye, are provided with slots 42, formed in their shanks. Bolts passed through these slots secure the eye-hangers to the cross-piece, the slots serving to permit their vertical adjust ment. The scale-beam L has at each side an arm, 12, which forms its pivot to be supported in the eye-hangers. These arm-pivots extend sidewise from the scale-beam to a greater distance than usua1,in order that the scale beam bearings g on the arms 11, and which project rearward from the scale-beam, may support the sliding frame and the platform suspended thereon by the top cross-piece, B resting with each end on one of the beam-bearings. Thus by means of the vertical adjustment of the eyehangers the two scale-beam bearings are leveled with respect to each other, and,bein g wider apart than usual, they steady the hanging platform, and if the apparatus is accurately constructed there will be no appreciable friction at time of weighing occasioned by the platform hanging against either side standard. It will be seen the platform is adapted to hold the bag or other receptacle while weighing, and then by means of the windlass the platform and article weighed may be elevated to enable a person to shoulder the article or to facilitate placing it in a wagon, and all this without reference to the bag-holder 0.

To prevent arms 1) of the scale from spreading or shiftin g sidewise when great weight is brought upon them by the cross-piece, the under side of the latter is provided with metal plates 1", which rest on the scale-beam bearings q. These plates are each formed with a downward-projecting lug, T, which takes position on the outside of the beam-bearings when the cross-piece B descends.

Upon the inner side of each standard A a guide-plate, S, is pivoted, the pivot being on the same horizontal plane as the pi\ *oting-edge of the scale-beam bearings g. This arrange ment serves an important end namely, when the platform is suspended by the cross-piece B resting on the beam-bearin gs the platform may vibrate slightly toward the front or rear to adjust itself to a plumb it being assumed it already hangs true, vertically considered, in the other direction. This vibration is permissible, as the pivot of the guide-plate is on a horizontal line with the beam-bearings. Thus the pivoted guide-plate serves to guide the vertical movement of the sliding frame, and to permit the frame, when the platform is down, to hang plumb, which is practicable from the fact that the point of suspension of the frame namely, the beain-bearin gs qis on the same plane as the pivoting-point of the guide-plate S. To each of the side standards also, but on the opposite side of the frame B, a guide-strip, t, is hinged at V. WVhen it is desired to weigh anything the strips 25 are turned out or away from the frame B, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and as seen in Fig. 5. In this position they are no hinderance to the platform moving laterally, if any such movement be necessary to allow it to hang plumb. The hinged strips are turned in toward the sliding frame B when it is desired to hoist the platform, as when so turned (see Fig. 1, for ex ample) they serve as guides.

The apparatus is mounted on wheels or rollers a to facilitate moving it from place to place.

Having described my invention, Iclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In a combined bag holder and weigher, the combination of the sliding frame B B the vertical]y-adjustable bag-holder 0, attached to the top of the frame, and the platform B, attached to the bottom, as set forth.

2. In a combined bag holder and weigher, the combination of a scale-beam, L, having rear projecting beam-bearings, q, a verticallysliding frame, with a top cross-piece adapted to rest on the beam-bearings, a platform attached to the frame, and a Windlass by which the platform may be hoisted, as set forth.

3. The combination, in a bag holder and weigher, of a scale-beam, L, having rear projecting beam-bearings, q, a vertically-sliding frame, with a top cross-piece to rest on the beam-bearings, having plates 9', provided with a downward-projecting lug, 1", as set forth.

4:. The pivoted guide-plate S, in combination with the scale-beam bearings q and the vertically-slidin g frame B B as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J OHN J. DUNAN.

Witnesses:

S. S. DAVIS, O. F. KEMMER. 

